In 70 years, Michel Herbelin has established itself as one of the spearheads of the French watchmaking industry, thanks to its recognized reliability and its ability to adapt to modern times without denying its history.
By Romain Rivière
Of course, we are no longer in the middle of the 20th century, when the small village of Charquemont, perched on the French Jura slopes, not far from the Swiss border and La Chaux-de-Fonds, had as many watchmaking workers as inhabitants. The great era of French watchmaking is now a thing of the past. But there, in the heart of the village, in its premises where 80 employees work every day, Michel Herbelin perpetuates a watchmaking tradition that constitutes a sort of local heritage. The family business, founded in 1947 by Michel Herbelin, is one of the last representatives of the sector in the region. Its responsibility is all the greater in that its influence extends far beyond national borders, since international markets, driven in particular by Asia, account for nearly 40% of its revenues.
Unlike an aging heiress, the family business has never stopped reinventing itself and striving to offer the best of itself to become one of the spearheads of the national watch industry. The brand, which has sold ten million watches since its creation, changed part of its logo a few years ago to emphasize its fundamental DNA: Michel Herbelin, a French watchmaking workshop. “Even if we achieve a certain volume of sales, we remain a family workshop, independent, capable of offering a high level of service,” insists Maxime Herbelin, representative of the third generation at the head of the company. At the heart of this service, a highly competent repair shopThis is a symbol of the reliability and commitment of the brand, which has earned it a reputation since its inception, a first-class reputation among its retailers and resellers, now representing some 2,500 points of sale worldwide, as well asa loyal clientele.
Although Michel Herbelin has always been concerned with bringing modernity to its collections, the brand has not denied its history. And at the heart of this story, an iconic collection: Newport. Imagined at the end of the 80’s, this collection inspired by the marine world, is based on a design referring to sailboats with, depending on the model, hexagonal screws, central attachments of the bracelet, porthole style glasses, etc. Newport, immediately recognizable thanks to its powerful design, has won over a clientele that has never tired of it in thirty years. It must be said that Michel Herbelin is committed to bringing new things to the table, such as this Newport Squelette unveiled in 2019, equipped with a Sellita SW400-1 caliber beating at 28,800 oscillations per hour and with a power reserve of 38 hours. Water-resistant to 100 meters, it is equipped with a 42 mm anthracite gray PVD-treated stainless steel case, mounted on a FKM rubber strap. This collection, particularly through its automatic models, embodies the top of the range of the house.
Since women represent half of his clientele, Michel Herbelin designed an Antares collection for them in the early 2000s, embodying a form of French elegance. With its sleek and feminine design, it is based on a patented strap change system that allows you to adapt the watch to your style in one click. Customizable thanks to a wide choice of bracelets, sizes, colors and materials, Antares also symbolizes the brand’s ability to keep up with the times, relying on the classic foundations of tradition while playing the modern card.
